SECTION 1
INTRODUCTION
1.0 System Overview
The Columbus Instruments’ Automated Incline Controller has been designed to provide manual or
computer-controlled inclination of any apparatus over a practical 100° range, inclusive of 0°. Rotary knobs
are provided to select the angle of inclination (or declination) with 0.1° precision and the rate of change of
the incline with 0.1°/second resolution. A mode switch selects the method in which to apply those settings.
The range of inclination and rate are preconfigured at the factory based upon the mechanics/geometry of
incline apparatus. A 2-line LCD display reports the commanded angle of inclination, the rate of change of
inclination, the current mode of operation and the incline apparatus’ angle of inclination.
In the “RUN” mode, the settings of incline and rate are applied continuously to the incline apparatus. In
the “STEP” mode, the settings of incline and rate are applied immediately after the “APPLY” button has
been pressed. This allows the user to manually present an exercise profile of inclination at specifically
timed intervals throughout an experiment.
The controller utilizes two linear-actuators, which work in tandem, to lift/move the incline apparatus. Due
to the various sizes and gear-ratios employed in their construction, heavy loads and fast rates of inclination
are all possible. The inclusion of separate safety fuses for the motor and continuous monitoring of the
linear-actuator’s position and electrical power results in a very robust motion control solution for any
automated incline system.
The Treadmill Software (or any other Columbus Instruments’ application) can communicate with the
Incline Controller by way of the “CI-Bus”. This is a hardware and serial communication protocol that all
new and revised instruments incorporate. It allows all products to connect together using standard category
5 network/communication cables (typical for LANs, Internet, etc.). Now the host computer can
simultaneously apply changes to the inclination and rate concurrently with the treadmill speed and
acceleration, which are all logged at specified intervals throughout an experiment session.
Summaries of the features are as follows:
The Incline Controller can control any Incline Apparatus over a practical 100° range inclusive of 0°.
The angle of inclination has a resolution of 0.1°.
The rate of change of inclination has a resolution of 0.1°/second.
The inclination can be adjusted continuously or in steps.
The dual linear-actuators are capable of positioning heavy loads at fast rates.
The “STEP” mode allows the setup and application of inclination profiles in a manual experiment.
The treadmill software allows the setup and application of inclination profiles concurrently with the
treadmill speed and acceleration in a computer-controlled experiment.
To Next Page
Loading...
Need help?
General
